This application claims the priority of German application 196 06 990.4 and PCT/EP97/00796, filed Feb. 24, 1996 and Feb. 20, 1997, respectively, the disclosure of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a spring damper between a wheel and a motor vehicle body which includes a damper cylinder and a piston rod co-operating with the latter and is directly articulated between the body of the vehicle and a guide element of the wheel, the spring is tensioned between a body-side and a wheel-side abutment, the clearance between the abutments can be varied by a hydraulic adjusting device and in which measuring devices operating without contact are provided to determine the installed length of the damper as well as the clearance of the abutment for the spring.
GB 2 288 577 A shows a shock absorber and spring disposed side by side, extending parallel to one another. The nature of the measuring device is not described.
DE 35 02 579 A discloses a spring damper device of coaxial construction, having a device for adjusting the clearance of the abutments of the spring. Clearance measuring devices are not provided therein.
DE 42 44 204 A describes a shock absorber in which hydraulic fluid is displaceable by a displacement body from a damping cylinder via a throttle against an air cushion. The initial position of the displacement body in the damping cylinder, and thus the clearance between the articulations at the body and the guide of a wheel can be varied by a separately possible variation of the hydraulic fluid flow within the damping cylinder.